Description:Preparing for change: Lulu Island’s solids system baseline definition project.
Presenter: Christopher Muller, Ph.D., P.E. (WA),
Brown and Caldwell.
Additional Contributors: Ian McKelvey, PE(WA), Brown and Caldwell, Seattle WA; Jim McQuarrie, Metro Vancouver, Richmond, BC; Eron Jacobson, PE (WA), Brown and Caldwell, Seattle, WA; Yinan Qi, Ph.D. PE(NM), Brown and Caldwell, Seattle, WA.
Wastewater utilities are driven to make changes to their facilities for a number of reasons, including increasing flows, regulatory changes, service changes and replacement of aging and obsolete equipment. While many of these changes are inevitable, effective planning can provide a confirmation of project need and alignment of expected economics, environmental and social outcomes.
Metro Vancouver’s Lulu Island Wastewater Treatment Plant in Richmond, BC treats 70 MLD of domestic wastewater and stabilizes the resulting sludges in its anaerobic digesters. Fully evaluate the costs and benefits of any potential future improvements to the solids stream processes (such as co-digestion, nutrient recovery, and beneficial use of biogas), Lulu Island WWTP is taking a proactive strategy by completing a holistic system baselining exercise prior to any changes, using an independent third party to conduct the evaluation.
The objective of this exercise is to quantify and verify existing systems operations in order to quantify the impact of any changes to the system. This presentation will include a discussion of Metro Vancouver’s decision to use this approach, the approach taken to develop the plant’s baseline including the parameters measured, results to date and the potential use of these measures in future projects. Topics will include: dye tracer studies, digester gas characterization, systems capacity measures, nutrients and biosolids characterization.
This presentation would be beneficial to any utility looking to implement a system change or upgrade, providing an approach to understand current conditions and quantify future benefits.